CBSE Class 12 English Flamingo My Mother At Sixty Six Kamala Das Assignment

CBSE Class 12 English Flamingo My Mother At Sixty Six Kamala Das Assignment. Students are advised to refer to the attached assignments and practice them regularly. This will help them to identify their weak areas and will help them to score better in examination. Parents should download and give the assignments to their children for practice. 

Multiple Choice Questions:

Question. What pangs did she feel when she looked at her mother?
(a) Pangs of headache
(b) Pangs of stomachache
(c) Pangs of knee pain
(d) Pangs of heartache

Answer: D

Question. What do the running trees signify?
(a) fast moving appearance
(b) speed of the moving car
(c) fast moving change in human life from childhood to old age
(d) none

Answer: C

Question. What is the universality of the theme of the poem?
(a) death is a truth
(b) Life is a reality
(c) everyone is happy
(d) to show old age

Answer: A

Question. Quote an example of personification used in the poem.
(a) sprinting trees
(b) home to cochin
(c) airport’s security check
(d) All of these 

Answer: A

Question. Quote an example of a metaphor used in the poem.
(a) as a late winter’s moon
(b) ‘Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling out of their homes’
(c) Driving from my parent’s home
(d) None

Answer: B

Question. The narrator is only using her smile to
(a) cover up her pain
(b) make herself happy
(c) to make her mother happy
(d) to make her father happy

Answer: A

Question. What does the expression smile, smile and smile signify?
(a) poet was going home and was elated
(b) poet was happy
(c) poet was hopeless
(d) poet’s desperate efforts to hide her fears

Answer: D

Question. What does ‘ashen face ‘ signify?
(a) colour of face
(b) face is covered with ash
(c) Pale and lifeless face of poet’s mother
(d) to show ugly face

Answer: C

Question. Who is the poet of this poem?
(a) John Keats
(b) Rudyard Kipling
(c) William Wordsworth
(d) Kamala Das

Answer: D

Question. What did the poet realize with pain?
(a) her mother’s appearance like a corpse
(b) she is inconsiderate
(c) old age is pleasant
(d) she has duties

Answer: A

Question. What does this narrative style of the poem signify?
(a) differing thoughts
(b) many thoughts
(c) contrasting thoughts
(d) a single thread of thought mixed with harsh realities

Answer: D

Question. Why did the poet look at her mother again?
(a) because she was busy
(b) because she was going away
(c) because she wanted to stay back
(d) because of fear and insecurity

Answer: D

Question. She soon put that thought out of her mind and
(a) smiled
(b) laughed heartily
(c) cried bitterly
(d) looked out of the window

Answer: D

Question. What do the parting words “See you soon Amma” signify?
(a) her carelessness
(b) Her optimistic farewell full of cheerfulness
(c) she bids goodbye like this
(d) she is in a hurry

Answer: B

Question. What was the poet’s childhood fear?
(a) Parting from her husband
(b) Parting from her friends
(c) Parting from her siblings
(d) losing her mother

Answer: D

Question. What does the poem revolve around?
(a) poet’s fears
(b) poet’s love for her mother
(c) Theme of old age
(d) All of these

Answer: D

Question. What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?
(a) Losing her mother
(b) heart attack
(c) headache
(d) children screaming at her

Answer: A

Question. Which Rhyming scheme is used in the poem?
(a) coupled rhyme
(b) monorhyme
(c) Alternate rhyme
(d) free verse

Answer: D

Question. Which poetic device is used in “Trees sprinting-” ?
(a) metaphor
(b) simile
(c) alliteration
(d) Personification

Answer: D

Question. What question arises from the complexity of the situation in the poem?
(a) what to do in old age
(b) how to take care of one’s skin
(c) how to drive
(d) How to strike a balance between duties and responsibilities

Answer: D

Assertion and Reasoning type Question:

(a) Both, A and R, are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both, A and R, are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
(e) Both A and R are false.

Question. Assertion: The poet feels the pain of separation at the airport.
Reason: She started smiling at her.
(a) Both, A and R, are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both, A and R, are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
(e) Both A and R are false.

Answer: C

Question. Assertion: Kamala Das didn‘t like her mother growing old.
Reason: She turns her attention away from her mother.
(a) Both, A and R, are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both, A and R, are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
(e) Both A and R are false.

Answer: B

Question. Assertion: The poet compares her mother to young trees.
Reason: Her mother was also young once.
(a) Both, A and R, are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both, A and R, are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
(e) Both A and R are false

Answer: D

Question. Assertion: The poet didn‘t reveal her sorrow on her face in the airport.
Reason: She didn‘t like to create a scene there.
(a) Both, A and R, are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both, A and R, are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
(e) Both A and R are false.

Answer: B

Question. Assertion: Kamala Das was scared of losing her mother or her company from her childhood days.
Reason: So, kamala Das was expecting this and hence ready for this to happen.
(a) Both, A and R, are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both, A and R, are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
(e) Both A and R are false

Answer: C

Question. Assertion: Kamala Das took her mother to airport.
Reason: She wanted to spend some more time with her.
(a) Both, A and R, are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both, A and R, are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
(e) Both A and R are false.

Answer: A

Question. Assertion: Kamala Das was honest and didn‘t have any hesitation in describing her mother‘s ageing face.
Reason: She compares her mother‘s face to a corpse.
(a) Both, A and R, are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both, A and R, are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
(e) Both A and R are false.

Answer: A

Question. Assertion: The poet advocates the aged parents should be taken care of by their children.
Reason: She looked after her mother by being by her side.
(a) Both, A and R, are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both, A and R, are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
(e) Both A and R are false

Answer: C

Question. Assertion: The poet gracefully accepts the reality of her mother growing old.
Reason: She left for her destination without much difficulty.
(a) Both, A and R, are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both, A and R, are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
(e) Both A and R are false.

Answer: C

Question. Assertion: The poet compares her mother to a winter moon
Reason: Winter moon doesn‘t shine well like in other seasons.
(a) Both, A and R, are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both, A and R, are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
(e) Both A and R are false

Answer: C

Extract Based Questions:

1. Multiple Choice Questions based on an extract

A. Driving from my parent’s
home to Cochin last Friday
morning, I saw my mother,
beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse and realized with pain
that she was as old as she
looked but soon
put that thought away…

Question. Choose the option that best applies to the given extract.
1. a conversation      2. an argument
3. a piece of advice   4. a strategy
5. a recollection        6. a suggestion
(a) 1, 3 and 6
(b) 2, 4 and 5
(c) Only 5
(d) Only 1

Answer: C

Question. Choose the book title that perfectly describes the condition of the poet’s mother.

(a) Title 1
(b) Title 2
(c) Title 3
(d) Title 4

Answer: C

Question. Choose the option that applies correctly to the two statements given below. Assertion: The poet wards off the thought of her mother getting old quickly.
Reason: The poet didn’t want to confront the inevitability of fate that was to dawn upon her mother.
(a) Assertion can be inferred but the Reason cannot be inferred.
(b) Assertion cannot be inferred but the Reason can be inferred.
(c) Both Assertion and Reason can be inferred.
(d) Both Assertion and Reason cannot be inferred.

Answer: C

Question. Choose the option that displays the same literary device as in the given lines of the extract.
her face
ashen like that
of a corpse…
(a) Just as I had I had this thought, she appeared and…
(b) My thoughts were as heavy as lead that evening when …
(c) I think like everyone else who…
(d) I like to think aloud when …

Answer: B

B. And
looked out at Young
Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes, but after the airport’s
security check, standing a few yards
away, I looked again at her, wan, pale
as a late winter’s moon and felt that old familiar ache…

Question. What is the most likely reason the poet capitalised ‘Young Trees’?
This was to
(a) convey a clearer meaning.
(b) highlight the adj.-noun combination.
(c) enhance the contrast.
(d) draw a connection with the title.

Answer: C

Question. Choose the option that appropriately describes the relationship between the two statements given below.
Statement I The poet knows her mother has aged.
Statement II The poet feels the pain of separation.
(a) Beginning – Ending
(b) Cause – Effect
(c) Question – Answer
(d) Introduction – Conclusion

Answer: B

Question. Choose the option that completes the sentence given below.
Just as the brightness of the winter’s moon is veiled behind the haze and mist,similarly,…….
(a) the pain of separation has shaded mother’s expression.
(b) age has fogged mother’s youthful appearance.
(c) growing up has developed a seasoned maturity in the poet.
(d) memories warm the heart like the pale moon in winter.

Answer: B

Question. Choose the correct option out of the ones given below.

(a) Option 1
(b) Option 2
(c) Option 3
(d) Option 4

Answer: D

2. Stand Alone MCQs

Question. The phrase ‘old familiar ache’ has been used to refer to a fear, in this extract. This phrase can also be used to
(a) compare physical pain with mental agony.
(b) elicit someone’s unanswered queries.
(c) substantiate reasons for aches and pains.
(d) describe a longing one has been aware of.

Answer: D

Question. The tone of the poet in the poem is primarily a combination of ……… and ………
1. dauntlessness   2. apprehension
3. dejection           4. disappointment
(a) 1, 2
(b) 2, 3
(c) 3, 4
(d) 1, 4

Answer: B

In a Nut-Shell : The poet is driving from her parent’s home to Cochin by car, her mother by her side—sleeping –open mouthed very pale, colorless and frail‐like a dead body indicating that her end was near. The poet looks at her and feels intense pain and agony to realize that soon death will cast her mother away from her. She tries to divert her mind, looks outside at the young trees and happy children bursting out of their homes in a playful mood (a contrasting image). After the security check at the airport she looked again at her mother’s face - pale and cold. ‘Familiar ache‐My childhood fear’ – the poet has always had a very intimate and close relationship with her mother and she has always felt the fear of being separated from her mother hence it is familiar. The poet reassures her mother that they will meet again.

Theme: My Mother at Sixty Six by Kamala Das brings out the reality of inescapable ageing, decay and death through a simple incident. She feels worried at the thought of her separation from her mother. She realizes how much her mother and she herself have aged when she looks at the ‘young trees sprinting’ and ‘merry children spilling out of their homes’. She smiles and bids farewell saying that she would soon meet her again.

Title: The title, ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’ is an excellent example of showing an ever unfailing relationship between a daughter and her mother. The title is apt as the subject of the poem is the poet’s aged and frail mother. ‘My Mother’ at once establishes the context in which Kamala Das is writing – the mother’s unexpected pain and the poet’s worry about her mother’s frail health, old age and perhaps, imminent death. The title prepares us for the frail old mother and her daughter’s concern for her.

Understanding the poem: On a grey day, the speaker leaves her mother as well as her home to win her bread, while her mother with a long face stands and stares. The poet was now going to Cochin from where she had to board an aeroplane for her journey back home. The poet’s mother was sitting beside her in the car. She was travelling with the poet to see her off at the airport. As they were travelling, the old woman dozes off and the poet looks at her intently. She notices that her mother is now old and pale. She looked almost like a corpse, for her face was colourless and seemed to have lost the fervour of life.

The poet is moved to tears when she sees her mother. A fear of separation from her mother and a sense of guilt for having neglected her mother cross her mind but the compulsions of her own life made her drive that thought away. The poet started looking out of the window because she wanted to drive away the pain and agony she experienced on seeing her ageing mother. She saw trees running past her car and merry children sprinting out of their homes to play. The trees described as sprinting is an optical illusion created when the car is moving forward. Moreover the trees which are symbolic of youth and vigour are described as sprinting to contrast the old age of the mother. The children spilling out of their houses are also in the spring of their life in contrast to her mother who is at the age of sixty-six. Trees and children symbolize the spring of life, its strength, vigour and happiness which contrasts with the lifelessness and helplessness that sets in with age.

When she reaches the airport and the security check is done, the last moments of togetherness tick by. She once again glances at her mother’s pale and colourless face which resembles a winter’s moon, for it is foggy, ready to wither away any moment. In this simile, the poet has compared her mother’s face to the winter’s moon because the moon seems to lose its brightness in the winter season as it is veiled behind fog and mist.
The mother’s face also seemed to have lost its radiance and was now misted with age. The poet’s childhood fears of leaving her mother alone unattended and of losing her haunts her once again. Her apprehension that her mother may not live long grips her mind but she has no choice but to continue her journey. Even her words ‘see you soon’ seem ironical for she is not sure how soon she would be able to see her. She only bid a formal adieu and smiled and smiled to hide her guilt, anxiety and fear of the unknown.

The repetition of the word ‘smile’ indicates the rather long and artificial smile the poet had to put on to cheer up her mother and to hide her own anxiety and guilt. Time has its toll on all human relationships.

Video Summary (In Hindi)

 

 

Important Questions NCERT Class 12 English Flamingo Poetry 1 My Mother at Sixty six

Question. Why has the poet’s mother been compared to the ‘late winter’s moon’?
Answer: The poet’s mother looks pale and worn out, devoid of the energy and enthusiasm of youth. In the twilight of her life, she appears as lackluster as the winter moon.

Question. Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting’?
Answer: The young trees are described as ‘sprinting’ because the poet wants to show a contrast between the young trees and her old mother.

Question. Why are the youngsters described as springing?
Answer: The youngsters in the poem, ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’ are described as springing because they are symbolic of youth, liveliness and joy. In contrast to the poet’s frail and aging mother the children appear to be young and spirited.

I saw my mother,
beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse and realised with
pain
that she was as old as she
looked but soon
put that thought away, ....

Question. What worried the poet when she looked at her mother?
Answer: The poet was worried about her mother’s advancing age and she feared final separation from her mother.

Question. Why was there pain in her realisation ?
Answer: There was pain in the poet’s realisation because her mother now looked as old as she was, her bodily infirmities that comes with old age were visible on her face. The poet was having a hard time accepting the thought of finally losing her mother.

Question. Why did she put that thought away ?
Answer: The poet put that thought away because she was going away from her mother and the thought of separation was too painful for her to bear. The realisation that old age was quickly approaching her mother filled her mind with unpleasant thoughts about losing her, which saddened and scared her deeply.

Question. Identify the figure of speech used in these lines.
Answer. The figure of speech used is a simile- “Like that of a corpse”.

.... ... ... ... and felt that old
familiar ache, my childhood’s fear,
but all I said was, see you soon, Amma
All I did was smile and smile and smile...

Question. Name the poem.
Answer: The name of the poem is ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’.

Question. What was the poet’s childhood fear?
Answer: Since childhood, the poet feared her ultimate separation from her mother.

Question. What does her smile signify?
Answer: She smiles in order to hide her true feelings, fear and anxiety.

Question. What does the word ‘ache mean’.
Answer: The word ache means pain.

...and felt that old
familiar ache, my childhood’s fear,
but all I said was, see you soon, Amma,
all I did was smile and smile and smile...

Question. What was the childhood fear that now troubled the poet?
Answer: Since her childhood the poet feared that one day she would lose her mother. Now, looking at her aging mother’s ashen face and fragile body the old fear came back to trouble her.

Question. What do the poet’s parting words suggest?
Answer: The poet’s parting words suggest that she hopes to see her mother again even though she fears she might lose her sooner than later.

Question. Why did the poet smile and smile?
Answer: The poet smiled and smiled because it was a deliberate attempt to hide her fear and anxiety of loss and separation from her mother.

Question. How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of her aging mother?
Answer: Troubled by the thoughts of her aging mother, Kamala Das tries to distract herself by not looking at her mother’s old, ashen face. Instead, she looks out of the car window at young trees sprinting and happy children running out of the their homes.

... but soon
put that thought away, and
looked out at young
trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes,...

Question. What thought did the poet drive away from her mind?
Answer: The poet drove away from her mind the thought of her mother’s impending death.

Question. What did she see when she looked out of the car?
Answer: When the poet looked out of car, she saw sprinting trees, happy children coming out of their homes to enjoy themselves.

Question. What did she see that the joyful scene did not help her drive away the painful thought from her mind?
Answer: The poet looked at her mother’s face once again and experienced the old familiar ache, the childhood fear of losing her mother. She gazed at her mother’s pale appearance the joyful scene did not help her drive away the painful thoughts from her mind.